Sunday, April 29, 2007

Long night

Saturday started out super lazy. I just poked around at home doing minimal cleaning, knitting and feeling sorry for myself. I wasn't miserable, just a little blue. I still hadn't decided about the party that night. I made it out of the house for some coffee, but I went right back home. I decided if staying home felt good, I would let myself enjoy it. I did.

At 6:30pm the phone rang. It was Kansas asking me to the baseball game. I'd told him it was ok if he invited me at the last minute. I rode the bike to RFK to meet him and was there before the first pitch. It's only about a 15-minute ride from home and by far the easiest way to get there.

The game was fun, but he was really loud and obnoxious. It made me wonder if I wanted to go to another game with him. To be fair, the loud, obnoxious Mets fans were provocative. It was a good game. Twelve innings! Kansas wanted to leave in the bottom of the 12th, but I refused to go until the last out. I think I got some props for that.

I still wasn't sure about the party. I figured I could do both. (I wore an, ahem, appropriate shirt to the game so I'd be prepared for party time if it ever came.)

After the game, we walked back to the bar. He made it clear that he wanted me to join him. That should not be remarkable, but it's not Kansas's habit to issue direct invitations. However, he did directly invite me and I tagged along because, well, because I did.

We walked and talked and it was fine. We got to the bar, and given that I wasn't drunk, I had a drink. And, since I was starving, I ordered fries. Yum. Well, not that yum, but good enough to eat.

We paid up and stood outside while Kansas smoked. It was a bit after midnight and I thought, "I'm ready to go to the party."

I'd invited my friend, PW, to the party at the last minute. He had dinner plans earlier in the evening but said that if I were going to the party late, I should give him a call. I'd told him Owen would be there and I needed some moral support. At12:15, I called PW while I was standing on the sidewalk outside the bar.

I didn't tell Kansas what I was doing, but with the phone to my ear, he said, "You should go to the party." I said, "That's what I'm doing." I stepped away when PW answered so I could hear him. He said, "Did you get my email?"

I said, "Email? No, I'm not home."

"Oh. Well, I wasn't sure if it was ok to call so late, so I sent an email. Do you want to go to the party?"

I said, "Yeah. Heh. I didn't even hesitate to call you."

PW said, "Where are you? I'll come get you."

I told him and we hung up. I went back to Kansas and told him PW was coming to get me to go to the party. I never considered inviting Kansas and he never hinted that he wanted to go. I did feel a little guilty for not including him but I didn't do anything about it. If he'd spent the entire evening talking about a party and didn't invite me, I wouldn't have liked it one bit.

I could tell that Kansas wanted to leave--either to go back to the bar or home--but he felt he should wait until my ride arrived. I told him he could go but I didn't insist. I was actually happy to have him wait with me. He finally went inside and less than a minute later PW arrived. (I left my bike locked in front of the bar. I picked it up on Sunday afternoon.)

When we got to the party around 12:45, it was packed. One of the first people I saw when we squeezed our way into the kitchen was Owen's roommate, Barry. I was happy to see him and he introduced me to the two friends he was talking to, one of whom appeared to be his girlfriend. In turn, I introduced them to PW. I always liked Barry and it looked like he was happy to see me too.

PW went for beer but both kegs were tapped. I stepped out the back door and surveyed the yard from the top of the steps. I caught sight of Owen. I wasn't sure if I should go down to talk to him. So I did nothing. PW and I stayed the kitchen and found something to drink--straight vodka (ick!)--and a corner to drink in. We watched the crowd and chatted. I said I wasn't sure if I should say hi to Owen or if I even wanted to say hi.

Then Owen walked by. He said, "Hi!" and kept going. I was astonished.

I turned to PW and said, "What was that?"

"Maybe he was getting in the bathroom line."

"Harrumph."

When Owen walked by us the second time, he said nothing. And the third time? Also nothing.

I said, "Unbelievable!" I suggested we go out back for some air. It was easy to find a place to stand since the crowd had cleared quite a bit. The evening was pleasant. Owen came back outside, but he still didn't come say hello to me.

Finally, I stepped up to him and said, "Are you kidding? Are you really not going to talk to me at all?"

The look on his face--surprise and confusion--was priceless. He said, "No, I, no, I wasn't…"

"Ok. But you walked right by me!"

"No, you know me, it was just crowded and I had to get where I was going."

I thought, "I don't know you." I said, "Ok, I'm sorry. How are you?"

We had a short, civil conversation. I introduced him to PW, who then faded away. Barry came by and we three talked. Barry announced that Owen had gotten a big raise. Owen told me he's now supervising three people and working ten hours more per week. I thought, "Why did I ever think he'd have a new girlfriend? He's married to his job."

PW came back and Owen and friends said goodnight and left the party

Despite my mini-tempter tantrum, the meeting went reasonably well. Owen is likeable and cute but it's hard to believe that we dated, that it was semi-serious and that I wrote thousands of words about it. Oh well. I don't even want to read back and remind myself what I was thinking. I'm content to have forgotten the whole thing for now…there'll be plenty of time for remembering later on.

PW drove me home and he came in and talked for a while. It was very late when he left but I wasn't tired at all. Eventually, I managed to put myself to sleep. With the help of the good, heavy drapes I have in the bedroom I slept until almost ten.